With our awesome neighbor Sean. Read below for the story behind the photo.
One of the things that happens when you have a child with a developmental disability is that you are going to get to know your doctor very well. Kids on the spectrum are more susceptible to getting sick because they are more likely to have immune deficiencies. Maddie definitely would qualify on this front.
Maddie has battled asthma since she was very little. It was hellish to deal with because this was a little girl who couldn’t speak to tell you how she was struggling and it seemed like an asthma attack would just instantly happen. We went through a good portion of our savings taking her to the emergency room to combat these attacks during her toddler ages.
As she has gotten older, we have been able to stay on top of it more. It has lessened a little and she is able to communicate with us better. Susan is like a nursing machine, making sure that Maddie gets her breathing treatments. I promise you that when you add a cold to Asthma and Autism, it’s a wicked ass-kick to your house.
Maddie never fails to get a cold. If it’s there, she will find it. No matter how hard we try, Maddie doesn’t have good hygiene skills. It just isn’t a natural instinct for her. She will sneeze and just let it hang there like a runny rope dangling from her nose.
It seems like she is on an anti-biotic every other month during the cold months of the year. We try to push on, since each doctors visit is 75 bucks out of our pocket, but eventually the cough gets too junky or her breathing becomes too weezy and we make the call.
Fortunately, Maddie loves going to the Doctor. This is not the case for a lot of kids with disabilities, so we know we are lucky on that front. As long as she doesn’t have to have a blood draw, she’s totally down with making a visit. Her choice for Halloween outfit says it all, right?
On this visit we find out that the sinus infection she had last month is back. More broken pills smashed into applesauce are in her future. (Maddie can’t swallow pills, so it has to be served up this way.) It’s mentally, physically and financially tiring, but we know there are plenty other kids out there who have more health problems than our girl.
Remember, if you have your health–that sure is better than feeling like shit.
–Scott Long–
Behind the Scenes of the Photo above
As I’ve outlined in the past, Halloween can be a night of horrors for Maddie. She likes the dressing up and candy part, but totally freaks out over the idea that each house might have a dog. A couple of years ago, this was too much for Maddie, so I had to bring her home, so I could finish taking her brother and sister around. What happened from there was pretty great. Our neighbor, Sean, heard about this and decided he would take Maddie around. Sean is a walking security force and Maddie felt safe walking around with him. She asked if he would do it again this year and it appears we have a new tradition. When Sean found out that Maddie was going to be a doctor, he decided to go as her patient. Pretty inspired idea from a great dude.